Initially I was unsure if I would need the 7mm-08 Rem die to step the brass down in preparation to set the shoulder of the Creedmoor cartridge. Ultimately it is not needed, but does make the process a bit easier, especially if your bench is not sturdy, or your press is not securely fastened to the bench….or if you’re not physically able to apply the required amount of pressure to go from a .308 Win to a 6.5 CM in one pass.
Before I go into the steps. All of the brass used was true once fired, MILSPEC, Lake City headstamp, 7.62×51, and I did not anneal the brass beforehand. After doing these conversions I did a few more using some of our annealed Lake City 308 brass. Working with our ready to load brass was far easier as the body of the case had already been resized and the neck and shoulder area was softer due to annealing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Step by Step” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][info_list font_size_icon=”24″ icon_border_style=”solid” icon_border_size=”1″ connector_animation=”fadeInUp”][info_list_item list_title=”Step 1″ list_icon=”Defaults-wrench”]Lubricate. There’s an increased chance for a stuck case if the proper amount of lube is not applied, or if your reloading setup isn’t sturdy enough to support you applying additional force to set the shoulder. It’s important to chose a die with the lube relief port, as without it, lube dents are going to be more prevalent.[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”Step 2″ list_icon=”Defaults-wrench”].308 to 7mm-08. Run the case up into the 7mm-08 Rem trim die. If you don’t have the trim die, you can use either Full Length or Body die with the expander removed. Leaving the expander installed serves no purpose at this point.[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”Step 3″ list_icon=”Defaults-wrench”]7mm-08 to 6.5 CM. Run the case up into the 6.5 CM trim die. This sets the shoulder of the 6.5 and trims the estimated 0.1″ or more of excess. Assuming your trimmer and die were set correctly, you’ll end up with a 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridge with the proper headspace and trim length. Either way, we’ll be giving it one more pass in a 6.5mm FL resize die before we’re finished.[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”Step 4″ list_icon=”Defaults-wrench”]Neck Turning. The goal with neck turning is to reduce the neck wall thickness. The military 762 brass is far too thick, and the brass is not likley to chamber as is. The added bonus of this step, is your necks will be far more concentric than before. None of our reloading manuals specified a neck wall thickness, so we measured a factory new Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge. Essentially this equated in having to turn the neck so there were no portion of the neck left unturned.[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”Step 5″ list_icon=”Defaults-wrench”]Final Resizing. Using a a FL Resizing die, I gave the brass one last resize to ensure the expander ball had a chance to set the I.D. of the neck. Going back to Step 3, we used a body only / trim die which only resized the O.D. After turning the necks, we need to reset these O.D. and I.D measurements.
[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”Step 6″ list_icon=”Defaults-flag-checkered”]Anneal. It’s always a good idea to anneal your brass. If done properly it will extend the life (your investment) of your brass and keep neck tension consistent, which I believe is important when the goal is putting 5 bullets in one hole.[/info_list_item][/info_list][/vc_column][/vc_row]